Hanover woman speaks out about mold in apartment

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Christina Cardea said she has been grappling with significant health problems after she and her boyfriend moved into the Mill Trace Village Apartments in the Mechanicsville area of Hanover County in 2020.

“I knew almost immediately after moving in,” Cardea said. “When I tasted it in the ice I knew immediately that there was mold in the ice machine.”

Cardea said that the couple complained about mold in their apartment to employees in the leasing office several times, but it was never addressed — until February of this year when they heard from the management.

“They told us to pull our stuff away from the walls because our neighbor had mushrooms in their carpet,” she said.

Cardea said that, during this time, she suffered from pneumonia multiple times, as well as numerous sinus infections and ear infections — and has now developed permanent lung damage and chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease. She said her doctor determined that her symptoms were triggered by mold exposure.

Cardea said her boyfriend suffered from cellulitis, a type of bacterial infection. His doctor could not determine what caused the infection, but when he told him about the mold in their apartment, he immediately said that was likely the cause.

Aside from the couple’s health issues, Cardea said every animal that entered the apartment became sick and died.

“I had brought in a dog and two cats, I knew my dog was acting weird when she was passing out and having seizures, she was 13 but perfectly healthy,” Cardea said. “Then last year, my two cats were exhibiting the same symptoms, having seizures. Both my cats died within three months of each other.”

A vet never determined the animals’ causes of death, but Cardea believes it was mold exposure, given the medical issues she and her boyfriend have experienced.

Cardea said she contacted the apartment’s management company asking to break her lease early. The company told her she could, if she provided a doctor’s note — so she did. Cardea said it was not accepted.

“[The management company] told me, ‘Well, anybody at Patient First could have written the doctor’s note for you.’ And it was very offensive, because I’ve been in the medical field 15 years,” Cardea said.

Emails shared with 8News reveal management attempted to address the mold issue in February, June and August. Cardea said these efforts were inadequate, resulting in damage to her belongings, including furniture which had belonged to her late grandmother.

“The fact that we were just brushed under the rug… It was very dismissive and I was very angry,” Cardea said.

Cardea and her boyfriend were eventually allowed to break the lease two months early and are now considering legal action against the complex. Mill Trace Village Apartments did not provide a comment on the matter.

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